The present invention relates to bronchoscopy and, in particular, adapters and bronchoscopy-related accessories for use when performing surgical procedures using a bronchoscope.
The most common interventional procedure in the field of pulmonary medicine is bronchoscopy, in which a bronchoscope is inserted into the airways through the patient's nose or mouth. The structure of a bronchoscope generally includes a long, thin, flexible tube that typically contains three elements: an illumination assembly for illuminating the region distal to the bronchoscope's tip via an optical fiber connected to an external light source; an imaging assembly for delivering back a video image from the bronchoscope's distal tip; and a lumen or working channel through which instruments may be inserted, including but not limited to diagnostic (e.g., biopsy tools) and therapeutic (e.g., laser, cryo or RF tissue elimination probes) instruments. The distal tip of a bronchoscope is steerable. Rotating a lever placed at the handle of the bronchoscope actuates a steering mechanism which deflects the tip in one or more directions.
Bronchoscopies are performed by expert pulmonologists, also known as bronchoscopists, and are used routinely in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as lung cancer, airway stenosis, and emphysema. Bronchoscopies are typically performed by a staff of at least two persons: the bronchoscopist and at least one assistant, usually a nurse. During a typical procedure, the bronchoscopist holds the bronchoscope handle with one hand and the bronchoscope tube with the other hand. He or she manipulates the distal tip of the bronchoscope inside the lung by rotating a deflection lever and by pushing and pulling the tube. Once the tip is brought to a target, a bronchoscope tool can be inserted into the working channel to perform a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
During insertion and operation of the bronchoscopic tool, the distal tip of the bronchoscope should be held steady at the target. Performing all of these tasks concurrently often requires the hands of more than one person. Two hands are needed to secure the bronchoscope in place, and one to two more hands are needed for inserting and actuating the bronchoscopic tool. Performing a procedure that requires two people is generally more expensive and the potential for error is increased. Hence, it is desirable to modify a procedure so that it may be performed with one or two hands, if possible.
Of particular relevance to the present invention is a device and method described in PCT Patent Publication No. WO 03/086498 entitled “Endoscope Structure and Techniques for Navigation in Branched Structure” to Gilboa, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This patent application describes a method and apparatus in which a locatable guide (“LG”), enveloped by a sheath, is used to navigate a bronchoscopic tool to a location within the lung. The LG/sheath combination is inserted into the lung via the working channel of a bronchoscope. Once the tip of the guide is located at its target, a lock, which is placed at the orifice (“connection port”) of the bronchoscope's working channel, is operated to prevent the sheath from sliding in or out of the bronchoscope. The guide is then withdrawn from the sheath, leaving the sheath in place to guide a tool to the required target location.
One of the many tools often used with a bronchoscope is a vacuum pump. A vacuum pump is used to clear mucus from the airways. In order for the vacuum pump to work properly, it must be attached to the bronchoscope using a connector that will form a seal with the proximal orifice of the working channel. Hence, when transitioning from the use of a locatable guide to the use of a vacuum pump or other tools, a sealing device must be unlocked during the tool exchange and then locked down onto the tool prior to use.
Additionally, because all of the tools used with a bronchoscope are necessarily long and slender, they are inherently flimsy when unsupported. Thus, inserting a tool into a bronchoscope can be difficult or impossible to do quickly with one hand. While this problem can be addressed easily by holding the end of the sheath in one hand and the tool in another, this would again require additional free hands during performance of the procedure.
In order to facilitate operation of a system such as described in the aforementioned application by a single practitioner, it would be preferable to allow the practitioner to temporarily release his or her grip on a secondary tool or device used via the working channel of the bronchoscope. At the same time, it is preferable that the device remains immediately accessible and operable, and does not hang loosely.
There is therefore a need for an adaptor for use with a bronchoscope which would facilitate operation of a bronchoscope and associated tools by a single practitioner. It would also be advantageous to provide an adapter for the connection port of the working channel of a bronchoscope which would perform both the sealing and tool-locking functions without requiring replacement of an attachment during the procedure. It would further be advantageous to provide an arrangement according to the teachings of the aforementioned PCT patent publication which would further facilitate insertion of tools into the guide sheath.